Our civilization is locked in the grip of an ideology - CORPORATISM.
An ideology that denies and undermines the legitimacy of individuals as the citizen in a democracy.
The particular imbalance of this ideology leads to a
worship of self-interest and a denial of the public good.
The practical effects on the individual are passivity and conformism in the areas that matter, and non-conformism in the areas that don't.
John Ralston Saul

27 October, 2008

Confessions of a Conspiracy Theorist

Confessions of a Conspiracy Theorist

by Sheila Casey / October 24th, 2008

Over the past few decades, the CIA controlled mainstream media in America has achieved a significant PR objective: they have made it socially unacceptable to believe that there is a conspiracy operating at the highest levels of our government. This puts those of us who do know about the plot at high levels in an awkward position: either we pretend that we don.t know what we know, or we risk being ridiculed and marginalized as a pathetic joke.

He who defines the language defines the parameters of the debate, and so far the conspirators are winning. They have succeeded in imbuing the moniker .conspiracy theorist. with such intensely negative connotations that even most conspiracy theorists.such as 9/11 truth activists.tie themselves in knots to avoid earning that label.

Is there anything wrong with having theories? Of course not. Knowledge progresses through scientists proposing a certain hypothesis (or theory) and then testing to see if it holds up. It doesn.t mean they are flying blind, untethered by facts. They use the facts they already know to create theories about things that are still unknown.

Is there anything wrong with having theories about a conspiracy? Is it akin to having theories about leprechauns, poltergeists or Bigfoot? Do conspiracies exist only in the realm of fantasy or the occult?

Definitely not. There are dozens of vast conspiracies that have been validated by historians. Wikipedia lists 27 .proven conspiracies, some of which were not the subject of any widespread speculation until they were exposed..

That is, they used to. The list of 27 proven conspiracies is in my article on the back page of the June issue of the Rock Creek Free Press, exactly as copied from Wikipedia in May 2008. That list of .proven historical conspiracies. was removed from Wikipedia on June 7, 2008, just a few days after the June issue of the Creek hit the streets of DC.

But I digress.

High level government conspiracies definitely happen. So what exactly is wrong with having a theory about a vast plot to deceive us?

From the point of view of the conspirators, plenty. They cannot succeed unless their under-handed dealings remain well out of sight. If the details of Operation Mockingbird became widely known, no one would read or watch any news from the mainstream media anymore, and their effort to control public opinion would fail.

Those in charge of the cover-ups had very good reasons for launching an all out attack on conspiracy theorists, and due to Operation Mockingbird, they are able to insert their memes into TV shows, news articles, books, movies, songs, greeting cards and comic books. Without quite realizing how it happened, the population adopts the belief desired by the conspirators: that those who suspect conspiracies are deficient human beings in every respect. Based on my own exposure to the MSM, I could easily conclude that conspiracy theorists are:

* lonely, socially inept losers * intellectually bankrupt, oblivious to evidence * immature, still living at home with their parents * unattractive to the opposite sex, unable to find love or sex * don.t bathe or change clothes regularly * have a tenuous grip on sanity, may be mentally ill * paranoid

No wonder no one wants to be considered a conspiracy theorist!

Many truth activists have reacted to this demonization by avoiding discussing theories, and insisting they are just asking questions. Fomer Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura gave a lengthy news conference in Arizona on 9/11/08 about the anomalies in the government.s story about 9/11, and he used this tactic. When asked his opinion about what was going on, he insisted he was just asking questions.

This approach is dishonest and ultimately unproductive. It is disingenuous to pretend you don.t have any theories just to avoid the dreaded .CT. label. It is also nearly impossible not to have theories about something you have studied extensively; I don.t know a single 9/11 truth activist who doesn.t.

It is also unproductive because we hold back from saying the things we know to be true. Why should we only ask questions when we know some of the answers? Questions require a lot of our audience. They require listeners to come up with the answers themselves, something not everyone has the time or inclination to do. We should state what we know with confidence.

Another defensive measure employed by some in the truth movement (such as author David Ray Griffin) is to point out that the government.s story is also a conspiracy theory. But that dog won.t hunt.

For although it is technically true that any crime involving more than one person is a conspiracy, in general vernacular a .conspiracy theorist. is someone who has a theory about a very specific kind of conspiracy: one operating at the highest levels of our government, or above and outside our government. No one would use the term about someone who suspects their neighbors of planning a bank heist. For all the symmetry and beauty of Griffin.s arguments, they are not persuasive to the man on the street.

The more destructive effect of Griffin.s efforts is that it gives tacit assent to the meme that to be a conspiracy theorist is a bad thing, something we want to paint our enemies as being. By trying to squirm away from the label, we only create the perception that we agree that it is a shameful thing to be, and can be hurt by that label.

Let.s look at how two other groups, who were victims of vicious stereotypes, reclaimed the words used to attack them. Those words are .nigger. and .queer,. and today those words no longer carry the punch they once did. African Americans reclaimed .nigger. by using it to refer to each other, as did homosexuals, who took back the epithet .queer..

Borrowing from their example, I hereby announce: I AM A CONSPIRACY THEORIST! I.m proud to be one of the clear-eyed Americans who have woken up and see how badly we.ve been lied to. I.m part of a group that includes the smartest, most courageous, selfless, free-thinking and hard working people I.ve ever met. I reject those CIA engineered stereotypes that say that I and my fellow truthers are not the bold, brave, cutting edge change agents that we are.

Put it on a bumper sticker and shout it from the rooftops. Say it loud and say it proud.

There is a conspiracy and I have a theory about it!

#

Hassan A. said on October 24th, 2008 at 8:29am #

I have no problem with Conspiracy Theorists in general. But the people that I know that come up with the theories are typically lazy, fatalistic people that won.t get off their duff and do something to change it. That is why I don.t want that label. I would much rather be known as an activist.

If you want to change the image of conspiracy theorists, then an effort to educate the theorists on how to induce change and proclaim the truth is required. A united effort.

#

Eric said on October 24th, 2008 at 10:49am #

People shout the mantra .conspiracy theory. in the same manner they shout invectives when angry. It.s a gut reaction, in this case a reaction to having one.s belief in the system and faith in one.s heroes challenged. But if one asks enough of the right questions, just as Socrates did, then people . especially young people . will turn the questions inward to to doubt their beliefs and their heroes.

That being said, bear in mind the fate of Socrates. Will you drink the poison hemlock . forced on you by the very people whom you seek to enlighten . merely to gain the benefit of the doubt from those who will be powerless to save you? Socrates became a martyr, but is the world any better for it? Modern democracy, just as its ancient forebears in Athens and Rome, has been corrupted from within.

I am a cynical Cynic. I see neither honor nor sensible purpose in martyring myself to serve as an example for future generations of martyrs. Let the tyrants have their warrior legions, titles, luxuries, and toadies. My life is but a finite series of moments, but those moments are completely mine. I would take my life . having enjoyed each moment up to the last . before surrendering unto Caesar or sacrificing myself for the world.

# Excellent Article Sheila

I submitted it to blogger a few hours ago, but yours was accepted as it should be.It is great to see more and more TRUTH be reported at Dissident Voice. The number of "Conspiracy Theorists" are growing exponentially because, in part, of your Dissident Voice.Thank you

I think that if we could break the back of this particular meme, it would help us enormously. Now, when someone throws the word "conspiracy" in my face like a slur, I calmly and confidently agree that yes, there is a conspiracy and yes, I am a conspiracy theorist. It's amazing how that takes the wind out of their sails, cause they were hoping to hurt me or put me on the defensive, and they haven't.

Seems like, without thinking about it, many in the truth movement have been affected by the same propaganda, and want desperately not to be called a CT. Our enemies sense our vulnerability and go for the jugular.

The change that needs to happen is really in our own heads. Once we are proud of the label, which marks us as a step ahead of everyone else, it loses its capacity to wound us.

This is because the CIA driven propaganda to discredit conspiracy theorists falls apart under examination. It is based on nothing but advertising (the same stuff that convinced everyone for years that smoking made you cool.)

Submitted by Sheila on Sat, 10/25/2008 - 12:51am

# The Conspiracy Theory section of Wikipedia undergoes constant and HEAVY editing. When I wrote this article in mid-Sept, (for publication in the Oct. Rock Creek Free Press) the section was very short, with the list of proven conspiracies removed. The history showed VERY heavy editing, at least one edit a day for many months, with some days containing a dozen edits. The section is essentially a battleground, and now has lots of new material making the case that conspiracy theorists are losers and crackpots.

Although someone saw fit to add back the list of proven conspiracies (for now, at least) there are two changes worth noting:

-The MK Ultra mind control program is now listed as ending in the 60s, as opposed to being "ongoing."

-Operation Mockingbird is no longer listed as "ongoing," and this sentence has been added: "In 1976, then CIA director George H.W. Bush ordered that paid media recruiting would be prohibited."

I am sure, that were I to add "9/11 was a false flag terror attack," to the list of proven conspiracies, it would be promptly removed.

I'm sure there is a black-op team devoted to keeping incriminating information out of Wikipedia.

Historical conspiracies include:

* The Catiline conspiracies in the first century BC.* The Pisonian conspiracy AD 65.* The Pazzi conspiracy, which included the Pope, of the late 1400s.* The Main Plot of 1603* The Bye Plot of 1603* The Gunpowder Plot of 1605* The Anjala conspiracy* The conspiracy of 1865 to assassinate U.S. President Abraham Lincoln and members of his cabinet* The French government's attempted cover-up following Emile Zola's accusations in the Dreyfus Affair, starting in 1894.* The 1903 efforts by the Tsar's secret police to foment anti-Semitism by presenting The Protocols of the Elders of Zion as an authentic text.[19]* The 1939 Operation Himmler and its Gleiwitz incident* Operation Mockingbird, from 1948. In 1976, then CIA director George H.W. Bush ordered that paid media recruiting would be prohibited.* The 1945 Operation Paperclip, the extraction of top Nazi scientists.* The MKULTRA mind control program, from 1953 to late 1960s* The 1954 Lavon affair* The 1962 Operation Northwoods* The 1969 Manson Family murders* The 1972 Watergate burglary and cover-up* The 1984 Rajneeshee bioterror attack* The 1987 Iran-Contra Affair* The 1995 Sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway

Some theorists, like Charles Pigden argue that the reality of such conspiracies should caution against any casual dismissal of conspiracy theory. Pigden, in his article "Conspiracy Theories and the Conventional Wisdom" argues that not only do conspiracies occur but that any educated member of society will believe in at least one of them; we are all, in fact, Conspiracy Theorists. Authors and publishers, such as Robert Anton Wilson and Disinfo, use proven conspiracies as evidence of what a secret plot can accomplish. In doing so, they demonstrate that the label "conspiracy theory" does not necessarily indicate that a theory is false. Theories cited in making this case include those listed above as well as:

* the Mafia* the Business Plot to overthrow the U.S. government led at the time by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1933* various CIA involvements in overseas coups d'état* the 1991 Testimony of Nayirah before the U.S. Congress to rally the support of the U.S. public to launch the Gulf War* the Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male* the General Motors streetcar conspiracy* the plot by the British Secret Service to destabilize Prime Minister Harold Wilson, among others.[citation needed]* the plot by some gaullists of the French Secret Service to destabilize future president Georges Pompidou, known as the Markovic affair* the series of incidents in Italy connected to the so called "strategy of tension"* Operation Gladio

These arguments also suggest that interested readers do their own research to come to their own conclusions.

The argument is often advanced there cannot be a conspiracy without leakers or whistle blowers. Given the success of the British government in getting thousands of people to keep the ULTRA secret -- and thereby ensuring that no reliable history of World War II could be published until the 1970s -- it is apparent that this is not necessarily a reliable indicator.

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If you made a list of things that the MSM (Main Stream Media) virtually never talks about, it would be the facts that:

1. No one was fired or reprimanded and many got promotions following the 9/11 attacks2. War Game Scenarios that NORAD held on 9/11 involving Hijacked airliners3. NORAD gave three contradictory timelines for their actions on 9/11. They gave no explanation for why false timelines were given.

I wonder why the MSM will not discuss these issues? I wonder why they call anyone who questions the official story of 9/11 "theorists", when there are plenty of facts about 9/11 that obviously show that people in the U.S. government are lying and no one is getting ANY significant scrutiny or trouble for any of this.

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#

John Hatch said on October 24th, 2008 at 1:49pm #

Nietzsche said that in order to deceive onself, one first needs to know which truth to conceal.

I think a lot of people need to attempt to conceal the truth about 9/11 (and other things) because they don.t know how to live in a world in which their illusions are shattered.

Regarding 9/11 I have noticed that people just ignore evidence and logical argument and instead revert to meaningless put-downs and name-calling. Examine the evidence, that will be sufficient.

It.s like a form of grief. You know that poor old sweet Aund Esmerelda has died, but you can.t quite take it in.

To many Americans (the rest of the world has much less of a problem with the truth regarding 9/11) regard government, and especially the Presidency as somewhat deified. So the notion that 9/11 was concocted at high levels (PNAC and VP offices) is akin to saying that Jesus can.t walk on water. I prefer to think that the laws of physics apply to everyone, and that they were suspended neither for Jesus nor for 9/11.

Maybe the truth will out, but then there is still the odd fool who thinks Oswald killed Kennedy.

2 Comments:

I never considered myself one, but I am a Conspiracy Theorist. Another misconception of CT's is that only when we are high, do we talk about these "crazy" theories about the world, and about life. High or not, I enjoy a good discussion about said topics. And when you question your surroundings, and the way things are, you surely are not crazy, your smart.

In today's world, the goals of a committed anarchist should be to defend some state institutions from the attack against them, while trying at the same time to pry them open to more meaningful public participation— and ultimately, to dismantle them in a much more free society, if the appropriate circumstances can be achieved.Noam Chomsky